Roy Clark facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Roy Clark
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Roy Clark on the set of A Conversation With Oklahoma Educational Television Authority, Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2014
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Roy Linwood Clark |
| Born | April 15, 1933 Meherrin, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | November 15, 2018 (aged 85) Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, Singer, TV host |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1947–2018 |
| Associated acts | Hee Haw |
Roy Linwood Clark (born April 15, 1933, died November 15, 2018) was a famous American singer and musician. Many people knew him as the host of Hee Haw, a popular TV show about country music that ran from 1969 to 1997. Roy Clark was a very important person in country music. He helped make it popular and was a great performer.
In the 1970s, Roy Clark often filled in for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. His show Hee Haw was watched by 30 million people! He was amazing at playing the guitar, banjo, and fiddle. He could play many styles, like classical guitar, country, Latin music, bluegrass, and pop. He had hit songs like "Yesterday, When I Was Young" and "Thank God and Greyhound." His playing inspired many bluegrass and country musicians. He joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1987 and was added to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009. He also wrote a book about his life in 1994.
Contents
Roy Clark's Early Life
Roy Clark was born on April 15, 1933, in Meherrin, Virginia. He was one of five children. His father was a tobacco farmer. Roy spent his childhood in Meherrin and also in New York City. His family moved to New York during the Great Depression so his father could find work. When Roy was 11, his family moved to Washington, D.C. His father got a job at the Washington Navy Yard.
Roy's father was a musician who played the banjo, fiddle, and guitar. His mother played the piano. The first instrument Roy played was a four-string cigar box with a ukulele neck. He made it in elementary school. His father taught him to play guitar when Roy was 14. Soon, Roy was playing the banjo, guitar, and mandolin. He loved the guitar the most. He was inspired by other musicians, especially George Barnes. Roy said he used to "steal" their musical ideas, meaning he learned from them.
Roy was a very shy person. He used humor and jokes to feel more comfortable around people. Other kids at school sometimes made fun of country-western music. This made Roy feel alone. He found that being funny helped him fit in. He also used humor in his music shows. It took him until the mid-1960s to feel brave enough to perform without using jokes in his act.
The Washington, D.C., area had many country music places back then. Roy started performing with Carl Lukat. Roy played rhythm guitar, and Carl was the lead guitarist. In 1949, when he was 16, Roy first appeared on TV on WTTG in Washington, D.C. At 17, he played at the Grand Ole Opry because he won his second national banjo title. By then, he also played the fiddle and twelve-string guitar. For the next 18 months, he toured the country. He played backup guitar for other musicians at county fairs and small theaters. On weekends, he played with big country stars like Red Foley. He earned $150 a week. After the tour, Roy went back to playing at local country music spots. He also recorded songs for Coral Records and 4 Star Records.
When he was 23, Roy got his pilot's license. He bought a plane, a 1953 Piper Tri-Pacer. He flew this plane for many years. He owned other planes too, including a Mitsubishi MU-2 and a Mitsubishi MU-300 Diamond 1A business jet.
Roy Clark's Music Career
TV Shows and Fame
In 1954, country star Jimmy Dean asked Roy Clark to join his band, the Texas Wildcats. Roy was the lead guitarist. He appeared on Jimmy Dean's radio and TV shows. In 1956, Roy competed on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, a TV variety show on CBS. This was his first time on network TV, and he came in second place. Jimmy Dean liked his band members to be on time. In 1957, he fired Roy for always being late. Roy then left Washington, D.C., and never lived there again. Roy said he never planned to be a country guitarist or a TV star. He just played music he loved.
In 1960, Roy Clark went to Las Vegas. He played guitar in a band led by Hank Penny. In the early 1960s, he also played in the band for Wanda Jackson, a famous rockabilly singer.
When Jack Paar was away from The Tonight Show in 1960, Jimmy Dean was a guest host. Dean asked Roy Clark to appear on his last night. Roy played two songs. Roy made his first solo appearance on The Tonight Show in January 1963.
Later, Roy Clark appeared on The Beverly Hillbillies. He played two different characters: a businessman named Roy Halsey and Roy's mother, Myrtle. He also played "Malagueña" on an episode of The Odd Couple.
In the mid-1960s, he co-hosted a TV show called "Swingin' Country" for NBC. It was a daytime country variety show. In 1969, Roy Clark and Buck Owens started hosting Hee Haw. This show was on TV from 1969 until 1997. Hee Haw made Roy Clark a huge star. He was part of the Million Dollar Band on the show and did many funny skits. In 1983, Roy opened the Roy Clark Celebrity Theatre in Branson, Missouri. It was the first theater in Branson named after a famous entertainer.
Roy often performed in Branson in the 1980s and 1990s. He sold the theater in 1992 and started touring less. He also performed yearly with Ramona Jones and the Jones Family Band. This was a tribute to his former Hee Haw co-star Grandpa Jones.
His Music and Recordings
In 1960, Roy Clark started touring with rockabilly star Wanda Jackson. He also played instruments on some of her songs. Through Wanda, Roy met Jim Halsey, who became his manager for the rest of his career. During this time, Wanda performed at the Golden Nugget casino in Las Vegas. Within two years, Roy became a main performer in Vegas. He appeared there many times in the 1960s and 1970s.
Roy's work with Wanda Jackson caught the attention of Capitol Records. He signed with Capitol and released his first solo album in 1962, called The Lightning Fingers of Roy Clark. The album was praised by critics and fans. By the early 1970s, Roy Clark was the highest-paid country music star in the United States. He earned $7 million a year.
He later recorded for Dot Records and had more hit songs. He also recorded for ABC Records and MCA Records.
Roy Clark's Personal Life
Roy Clark married Barbara Joyce Rupard on August 31, 1957. They had five children. They lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1978, the Roy Clark Elementary School in Tulsa was named in his honor.
Roy Clark passed away on November 15, 2018, at his home in Tulsa. He was 85 years old. He died from problems caused by pneumonia.
Awards and Honors
By the early 1970s, Roy Clark was named "Entertainer of the Year" three times. This award came from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association (CMA). The Academy also named him "Best Lead Guitar Player" and "Best Comedy Act." The CMA called him an "International Friendship Ambassador" in 1976 after he toured the Soviet Union.
On August 22, 1987, Roy Clark became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He played a yearly concert at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. The money from these concerts helped pay for scholarships for young musicians.
Roy Clark was added to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009. On April 12, 2011, the Oklahoma House of Representatives honored him. He was also honored by the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame as Oklahoma's Music Ambassador for Children. He was given an award from Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin. In 2007, he was added to the Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Fiddlers Hall of Fame. In 2013, Roy Clark was one of the first people to be inducted into the Virginia Musical Museum & Virginia Music Hall of Fame.
Roy Clark's TV and Film Appearances
- Swingin' Country (1966) – a daytime TV show
- Five episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies as "Cousin Roy" (1969)
- 294 episodes of Hee Haw (1969–1997)
- Swing Out, Sweet Land (1970)
- The Flip Wilson Show (1971)
- Sesame Street (1972)
- Love, American Style (1973)
- The Odd Couple (1975)
- The Bell Telephone Jubilee (1976)
- The Captain & Tennille Special (1976)
- Fair Weather Friends (1977)
- Hanna-Barbera's All-Star Comedy Ice Revue (1978)
- Matilda (1978)
- The Muppet Show (1978)
- Fifty Years of Country Music (1978) – a CBS TV special
- Austin City Limits (1980, 1982)
- Epcot Center opening celebration (1982)
- Disneyland's 30th Anniversary Celebration (1985)
- Uphill All the Way (1986)
- 6th Annual National Songwriter Awards (1986)
- Freeway (1988)
- The Grand Ole Opry 65th Anniversary (1991)
- Gordy (1995)
- The Grand Ole Opry 70th Anniversary (1996)
- A Bing Crosby Christmas (1998)
- Palo Pinto Gold (2009)
Roy Clark's Awards
- 1970 – CMA – Comedian of the Year
- 1972 – ACM – Entertainer of the Year
- 1973 – ACM – Entertainer of the Year
- 1973 – CMA – Entertainer of the Year
- 1975 – CMA – Instrumental Group of the Year (with Buck Trent)
- 1976 – CMA – Instrumental Group of the Year (with Buck Trent)
- 1977 – CMA – Instrumentalist of the Year
- 1978 – CMA – Instrumentalist of the Year
- 1980 – CMA – Instrumentalist of the Year
- 1982 – Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance for his song "Alabama Jubilee"
See also
In Spanish: Roy Clark para niños
